Ademola Lookman praised Atletico Madrid’s resolve after they secured a 1-1 draw at VfB Stuttgart in the UEFA Champions League despite finishing the match with 10 men.
The sides met at the MHPArena on Tuesday night in Matchday Three, with Stuttgart taking the lead before Atletico fought back to claim a point.
Jamie Leweling gave the hosts the advantage in the 36th minute with an excellent finish. Lookman was introduced after half-time and made an immediate impact, setting up Julian Alvarez for Atletico’s equaliser three minutes into the second half.
Atletico’s challenge became even tougher with 25 minutes remaining when Morten Hjulmand was shown a red card for a reckless tackle on Angelo Stiller.
Diego Simeone’s side nevertheless maintained their shape and defensive discipline to protect the draw and leave Stuttgart with only one point from the contest.
Lookman said Atletico had responded well after falling behind and remained united when they were reduced to 10 players.
“Obviously, they started strongly and they are a strong team. Playing away from home is never easy,” Lookman told the club’s official website.
“But we wanted to try to change the tie in the second half, which we did with the goal.
“We kept on pushing, but unfortunately we went down to 10 men. We dug in, showed our fight together and stuck together. We take a point away from home.”
The Nigeria forward also explained his contribution to Alvarez’s goal. Lookman delivered the ball into the penalty area for the Argentina striker, who finished to restore parity shortly after the interval.
Lookman said he was confident Alvarez would make the most of the chance once he found him in the box.
“I just tried to look out for him in the box. He’s deadly in the box, so I knew he would score,” said the 29-year-old.
The draw gives Atletico Madrid four points from their opening three UEFA Champions League matches.